Mom and Children Home After Night in Woods

A mother and her two children are home safe after they failed to return from a walk in a state forest Tuesday night.

(Published Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017)

An Oxford mother, her two young children and their dog, who were missing after going for a walk in the Naugatuck State Forest, are safe at home after finding their way out of the forest.

Police said the woman’s husband reported his wife, their 8-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son and the family dog missing after they went for a walk Tuesday evening and did not return. Crews began searching for them around 11:45 p.m. when the husband reported them missing. It was raining heavily at that time.

According to Sgt. Tate Begley State Environmental Police, Wednesday morning the woman, children and dog made it out of the forest and flagged down a driver on Chestnut Tree Hill Road for help. Everyone was in good condition, with just minor cuts and scrapes.

“It just happened we got lucky that she had a good sense of direction - heading in the direction of Chestnut Hill Tree Road, and you know, came out to a passerby,” Begley said.

The woman told authorities they took shelter in the woods overnight after they got lost and her cell phone died. At one point the family could hear the search crews looking for them, but because of the dense forest, they could not hear the woman’s calls for help.